What's a Wrecker?
Well, Orion Pax died and the Decepticons have taken the planet. Yeah, *that* happened. Thousands of years ago Wheeljack might have gone along with it. He'd have been willing to sit out the mess and see what comes of it, being willing to work with anybot willing to do something about it. He has, however, learned better. He's worked with Orion Pax and all of the outliers he rounded up, toiling unknownst to most with Team Pax against all the dirty secret things Zeta was doing under the guise of a Prime. It all came to a head in Nyon and that... that really opened Jackie's optics. He's very clear now on what he has to do - what he has to build. So, Prowl might be running around gathering up Bots and Jazz is doing, well, what Jazz does best. Wheeljack? He's off in his corner, proverbially, doing what he *feels* is best. Long ago this site was where his first solo workshop was, on the edge of the technoversity grounds, but all that was lost when Starscream... well, Starscreamed. The hull of his old shop is there which is good enough for what Jack needs. Wheeljack is there with Torque and there are sparks flying. Welding sparks, as the pair are attempting to quickly install equipment to turn this workshed into a *ship*. Long ago Jack did ask Torque to make space ships with him... this isn't quite that but it's a start. There's an assortment of gear, ammunition, weapons and other gadgets to install into what will become the Jackhammer v3.3 Since a lot of what is happening to Cybertron is OUT THERE, there's relative quiet here at the fringes of the college grounds. Only Prowl and Jaxx know Jack is here, well, and the one one-opticed bot he asked to come here. AND maybe the delivery guy from service that Jack spend the last of his shanix at for the parts that should be arriving at any moment... "Ya' come up with a good name for this outfit yet, Torque?" Torque had been warey of the Primes since Sentinel's reign, so Zeta's corruption came as no surprise. Still, the downfall of Nyon crossed the line more than she anticipated he'd ever do, leaving her stunned, especially when Megatron went and turned on them yet again. The medic hasn't spoken much on the issue since that, instead diving into her work with Wheeljack and what medical attention she could offer. A bit lost in her thoughts, it takes her a moment to respond, perking up and looking to him when her mind finally catches up. "Huh? Oh.. Hmm." She twirls the wrench in hand and rubs her chin, smearing some grease across it. "I've been wondering about that. It's obviously gotta have your mark on it and.. well, it's also gotta represent the team. Something that tells those Cons we're gonna come down on them like a hammer... Wheeljack.. hammer..." The gears are turning and she smirks back up at him. "How about the Jackhammer?" It's been really crazy lately what with... literally everything going on the way it has, so Wheeljack's request to see him was a more than welcome chance for Whirl to get away from it all and reconnect with a friend he has barely seen since all of this crap went down. His arrival is heralded by the commotion of rotors slicing the air, the helicopter touching down just outside of Wheeljack's workshop before transforming into the mech everyone loves (to hate.) "OH, I get it. Because his name is Wheeljack and you're going to come down on them like a hammer," Whirl says as he enters the shop, apparently having caught the ass-end of Torque and Wheeljack's conversation. "So clever." "That's a great name for this baby there!" Wheeljack thumps the hull of the ship he's welding on for emphasis. "Our baby," he winks at her, a blink of his optic. "For a team of mechs and femmes like you though, tough as nails and courage to the struts... ya' need somethin' more!" At least Jackie thinks so. "I kinda' like 'Team Hammerstrike' but still... somethin' like... like you, Torque. Somethin' with more *PUNCH!*." Because, boy howdy, does Torque pack a mean one. Wheeljack turns to look as Whirl shows up. "Ya' made it! Good to see yer still functional. Here, I thought ya' mighta' gone and done somethin' stupid," Wheeljack chuckles to Whirl. The last time Whirl saw him, Jack was the geeky sciencebot that Whirl robbed. Now he's the same only he's god a shoulder cannon and ton more confidence. " "Now we're closer to really makin' things blow up." Torque's antennas twitch and she can't help grinning as a bit of a blush lights up her cheeks. "Makin' me blush here, Jackie." She chuckles softly. "Hammerstrike is pretty good, honestly. but.. I dunno, it doesn't roll off the tongue as well. We need something short and to the point. Something that says 'We're gonna wreck yah!'" Wanting to elaborate further, her attention is instead pulled away when Whirl arrives, his sarcastic remark making her roll her optics. "Well I don't hear you coming up with anything, smart mech." "Of course I went off and did something stupid. I've been living with the Decepticons since Nyon fell, I would consider that pretty damn stupid." Whirl reaches out and gives Wheeljack and firm but friendly punch in the shoulder, the same one with his fancy new cannon attached to it. "Sweet cannon, Jackie. You make that yourself? Blow anyone up with it yet? Considering my first question, I also have to ask if you've blown /yourself/ up with it yet." He then turns his attention to Torque, giving her a hard stare with that cyclopean gaze he can't help but have. "Torque. You're looking.." He looks her up and down (and up and down) in a very obvious fashion. "...As lovely as ever." Whirl then steps further into the workshop, doing his best not to knock anything over, to get a better look at what the two of them are working on. "Hmmm.. I have a few ideas. How about the S.S Pain? Or maybe THE EXPLOSION EXPRESS?" Wheeljack happens to enjoy that despite things he can still have that affect on Torque. "I think yer onto somethin' there. Somethin' like that could rule... ya' know, layin' it out there so there ain't no debate 'bout it! Wreck ya'... that's *almost* perfect." Jack rocks a little with that shoulder tap. "Yay! Only tw-... no, four times." He considers. "Five, if ya' count the install." He turns to look at it. "It ain't too much? If you like it, I could put one on you!" Torque just gives Whirl that unimpressed look as he eyes her creepily. She's gonna have to get used to this. "Thanks." She says flatly before turning back to her work. "And I dunno, those kinda come off a bit too.. extreme, don'tcha think? Jackhammer is kinda subtle." She shrugs and snorts as the two talk about shoulder cannons, looking over her shoulder and smirking at them. "I dunno if he'd be able to hold one up, Jackie. Whirl's a bit on the lean side, heh." "Oh yeah, because Jackhammer is SO subtle. Sounds more like a pet name you came up with during an interface," Whirl teases. "But whatever, its your guys' thing, call it what you want." The cyclops gives Wheeljack's shoulder cannon another look, thoughtfully tapping the space where his chin used to be. "Too much? Nah, not at all. Personally, I think you could go bigger. This is still good though. Very good." Torque's comment about his lean frame and his possible inability to carry around something like that gets an unamused snort from the mech. "Tch! I'm perfectly capable of handling heavy weapons. Just because I'm not big and bulky like SOME people-" He gives Torque another creepy look. "-Doesn't mean I'm going to shatter to pieces under the slighest bit of weight." When you're the head of the engineering guild, you make enemies easily. See the Constructicons and the fact that they were all kicked out of the Guild when Bulkhead discovered they were using empties as building materials for the fast and dirty Forge pit arenas. But you also make acquaintances. Wheeljack, that eccentric nutcase that loves to blow himself up with his inventions and Bulkhead had became pretty close acquaintances, or at least someone that Bulkhead has assumed he can trust. And in the Megatron World Order - those type of acquaintances are in short supply. Having boldly made his way out to Nyon and right up under the Decepticons' noses done some of his work and then bailed, Bulkhead is a mech that realizes that time is short and at a premium. Being Zeta Prime's head engineer was one thing - what he knows or may know is a totally different thing. And when you know a mech who knows a mech who knows a femme who knows a mech that handles deliveries for large parts for a ship to be delivered to a non-descript location on the Technouniversity, well.. a mech on the run just has to take his chances. Talking to the delivery mech had been the easy part. Knowing his boss made that easy to get everything switched out. So along with all those other parts that Wheeljack had ordered, Bulkhead carries those along with a few other goodies. After all, it only beehooves a stranger to make sure he brings a gift basket when trying to make a new friend, right? Because those are in preciously short supply. Friends will help bail you out, but best friends? They're willing to go knees deep in the scrap that's coming. That's what Bulkhead needs right now. That is how the thickest chin on Cybertron went from Head Guildmaster to Delivery Mech in the fastest time ever. There comes a loud banging on the door of the workshed. "Hey! Someone here order parts and scrap for a space capable jumper? Or.. a large order of lead sulfite crystals with a side of Celesium salami?" "Already decided. Ship'll be the Jackhammer, which is fittin' since I'll be sittin' in it the most, but you guys need somethin'... WHAM! Wreck ya' wreck ya'..." Wheeljack mulls it over. He does look to Whirl again and sizes up the mech's frame. "Maybe somethin' on yer back, like a railgun. But big and bulky you'd want *this* guy," Jackie thumbs too as Bulkhead makes his appearance. With things! And stuff! And more things! Wheeljack turns to inspect the stuff he ordered when he notices the bot that brought them. "Well, I'll be! Chief Engineer, ain't it? You fallen on hard times that now you got yerself demoted to deliverybot? Guess that's whatcha' get for workin' for Zeta," Jackie grumps. At Bulkhead. For no good reason but he does. Well, kind of a reason. "You can't be tellin' anyone 'bout anythin' you mighta' heard. No sense in the Wreckers," he thumbs backt o Torque and Whirl, "Gettin' grounded 'fore they even get to take off." Torque stiffens and looks rather flustered at Whirl's comment about pet names and interfacing, avoiding the cyclops' stare and focusing a bit more on tightening a bolt on the ship. "Yeah yeah.. Well just try not to tip over if you ever get that cannon installed." She clears her vocals, trying to smooth out her ruffled feathers with a defensive comeback. Thankfully Bulkhead arrives, drawing a curious look from Torque when he enters the husk of a workshop. "Bulkhead..? Huh, never thought I'd see you out here. Deliverin' stuff, no less." She wasn't part of the guild, but due to her affinity for mechanics she's been in contact with them now and then. Whirl is quite pleased at the reaction his extremely inappropriate comment gets and he's tempted to push Torque further, see how uncomfortable he can make her before she finally has enough and punches him, but Bulkhead's arrival distracts him. "Bulkhead, eh? So you're the one I've been hearing on the broadband lately. You're.." He cranes his heade to look up at the much larger mech. "..Bigger than I expected you to be." What DID he expect, exactly? "There isn't anything wrong with delivery work! A mech's gotta do what a mech's gotta do, right? I know this one guy, turns into a spaceship, he's all aft-hurt over having to do delivery work but I don't really see what the big deal is. You can make decent money if you make the right deliveries." And if you skim a little off the top, he wisely does not say. Wheeljack's comment about Wreckers makes the cyclops pause for a moment. "Wait, what? Wreckers?" He turns to address Torque because obviously she would know what Wheeljack's going on about. "What's a Wrecker?" Wheeljack's ribbing may have only had a small amount of malicious intent, but it's enough to bruise Bulkhead a little further than he had beat up himself. "I know, I know. I've only heard that fifty times recently and I'll probably hear it fifty more. So .. uh .. if I ain't welcome, I'll leave.. but.. at least let me do this first." he says with a heavy sigh as the mech takes out his pack and sets out the supplies that Wheeljack requested. And then he takes out something else. A large device that he sets on the floor. "I took this from the heart of one of those Destructors over in Nyon right under the 'con's noses. It's a vamparc generator. I need a place that I can start trying to reverse engineer it cause..." he frowns, and looks around before he glances down. "This wasn't an Autobot weapon first." he finally says quietly. "About 20 vorn ago, then-Senator Screamer and one of his seeker pals jumped Sky Lynx with a weapon that had eerily the same effects - damn near drained him dry. Lynx was able to take one of the weapons, it looked to me like it had been pretty torn up.. but I guess Zeta Prime had some folks that could fix it. And by the time I realized what was happening in my own departments.. it was too late." he says with a lowering of his shoulders, and those blue optics look downcast as his lower jaw sets. "I had been able to start gathering information on where Zeta was makin these.. but then Megatron attacked. I'm pretty much locked out the system now thanks to Hook and his gang of hacks. And I don't have anywhere else to turn." There's a small chuckle offered towards Torque. "A mech's gotta eat, right?" he offers lamely, his expression still downcast. "Like he said." Bulk gestures towards Whirl before he stops to see what the others think. "I'm not going to say anything, but if you're thinking of leaving the planet - the Cons are locking it down. Using all the old Clampdown tech from what I heard to try to keep anything Autobot pinned to Cybertron." That causes Wheeljack to blink! On/off go his optics. "Oh! Oh," Wheeljack settles as he catches up a moment later. He looks to Whirl, then to Torque. "She's one. Hopin' you'd be one too." He optics Bulkhead for a moment but then decides, frag it. If they need to lock Bulk in a closet so he doesn't get out to tell anyone then they will. After they find a big closet. But sometimes... you got to take risks for there ot be a pay off. "Others (Prowl, Jazz) got things they gotta' do to find out the things they gotta'. To do that though, they're gonna' need some noise to keep the heat offa' them. That's where we come in. Some of us are real good at puttin' things together." Here he looks to and means Torque. "Then we got those that are real good at makin' a mess, tearin' things down." Yep, he's looking at Whirl here. "So mash them two together and ya' get... what's gonna' wreck ya'." He blinks to Torque at that. She came up with it! He likes it. "Now ain't the time to fight, but it's comin'. I know it, known it for centuries now. There's only so much runnin' a bot can do... there's gonna' be a time when somebot's gotta' be willin' to make a stand. So others can get 'way. There's gonna' be a time when somebot's gotta' be willin' to make a stand 'cause others can't. It'll be suicide," he frowns. "But it's necessary." He recognizes that there's no keeping Torque from what she wants t do - what she *needs* to do - and if she's going to die saving someone else, well it might not be smart but it sure feels right that she is surrounded by other mechs and femmes willing to do the same. "So, Wreckers. Either we get wrecked or, hopefully, *they* do." He does look to Bulkhead, wondering if the big bot can keep his trap shut? This guy worked for Zeta but... a lot of good bots did. They didn't know any better. Maybe Bulkhead deserves some slack? Jackie's already granted such a thing to Prowl, so why not the big greenie too? He sets down his wrench and moves to the device that Bulkhead wants him to look at. "So, I've been buildin' a lot of stuff but *this*... I ain't makin' a counter to. I don't do escalation of arms, but somethin' to counter it..." Now that he can work with. "Somethin' to negate it," is more like something he can promise. As Wheeljack squats to examine the vampric device, he looks up. There's a grin to his optics. "Who said anythin' 'bout leavin' Cybertron? The Jackhammer's meant to jaunt 'bout it, keepin' them Cons here! Takin' the fight to *them*... ya' know, when the time's right." Torque glances to Whirl at the question of Wreckers and smirks. "I think that's our team name. And I like it. It's easy to say and gets straight to the point." Finishing up what she's working on, the femme stands and wipes her greasy hands with a rag while moving towards the others to address Bulkhead properly and look at the parts he's brought them. "Delivey mech or not, we really appreciate this stuff, Bulk. Maybe now we can get this thing off the ground sooner than we thought." She smiles to Wheeljack and looks back to the items, only to gasp softly and recoil a step when she sets her optics on the vamparc ribbon. The way she just stares at it is.. a bit unsettling, obviously unnerved by the device's presence. "...Starscream forced Pharma to make this at Kimia.." Torque mutters, expression settling into a troubled frown as she tries to compose herself and looks to Wheeljack. It means the world to her to hear him say he won't make a weapon of it, a fact that has her liking him even more. "I agree with Jackie. We make something that can counter this, then destroy it. Advanced tech or not, we've all seen what this can do. And.. I've /felt/ it. It can't fall into anyone else's hands." Team name? Did Whirl just get recruited into something without even realizing it? It sure sounds like it but he's surprisingly okay with it if Wheeljack and Torque are involved. As for Starscream's involvement with something like the friggin' vamparc ribbon, consider Whirl shocked, SHOCKED, at this revelation. Is there anyone on this planet that Starscream HASN'T screwed over yet? "I don't know anything about engineering or making things or.. really anything else you guys do," Whirl admits, feeling a little out of place surrounded by engineering geniuses. "But if you want me to stab people, bust some heads and what have you, I am down for that. I can do that. All this though.." He gestures to the various equipment in the workshop. "..I don't even know what I'm looking at here." "I.. never said make a weapon, did I?" Bulkhead looks genuinely confused as he scratches the back of his head. "I mean, I meant reverse engineer it so we can know what it takes to stop it. I don't make weapons, that ain't right..." this is the architect of the ground bridge, after all. "There is one way you can keep me quiet." he says finally. "Let me come along. I've seen what Zeta's done now with my own optics, and I .. I need to make it right or whole or fix it or something." he admits, frustration overwhelming his processing speed for a moment. "And I know this ain't Zeta's only pet project. Or Starscream. Pharma. Whoever!" he rumbles in anger as he slams his hands together with a decidedly loud collision. "And it's only a matter of time before the Constructicons get to lookin for it all. Or the Combaticons. Or the Deliverycons or some other -acon I can't think of right now!" "But if it's one thing I can do.. and do well..." Both of his hands protoform into the massive wrecking balls. "It's how to break* stuff!" *Usually accidentally. It might be the fact that his original idol might have built this thing, but Wheeljack is all over the vampric device. He wants to come up with a way to counter it as of yesterday. He might not know all the details of what Pharma and Starscream did to Torque about this thing, but even knowing that little is enough to motivate him. "Once we learn it, we burn it," he agrees with her. Maybe even better, he'll ask her to smash it to bit. That might help her to feel better too! Without looking up, Jackie snorts though. "Oh, Whirl. I don't mean for ya' to do this stuff. I mean for you to be our leader!" Why? "You got the experience, the trainin' and alla' that. The contacts and the spirit." Wheeljack even thinks Whirl could handle the responsibility of it. Who knows! Could be good for Whirl... up until the mission where he gets them all killed! He then stands and looks to Torque. Looks to Whirl. Jack puts his stamp on Bulk's 'application' as he says, "I think ya' mean you know how to *wreck* stuff, big bot." Whirl is flabbergasted (though it's hard to tell) when Wheeljack suggests he be the leader of this team. He's about to ask why but Wheeljack beats him to the punch and explains his reasons, and Whirl finds it hard to argue the points he makes. He's silent for a long while, contemplating what he's just been told, before he finally perks up. "LET'S DO THIS! We're gonna wreck and rule all over Decepticon faces!"